The legislature seems poised to once again pass a voter identification bill, legislation that has sharpened partisan lines and sparked heated debate regarding voter fraud and voting rights.

The GOP-controlled legislature passed a bill in 2011 requiring voters to show a photo ID at the polls, only to have Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue veto it. That won’t be a problem this year, because Republican Gov. Pat McCrory has voiced his support for such a measure.

But it is still not clear what form the voter ID bill will take.

Earlier this month, House Speaker Thom Tillis of Cornelius and McCrory voiced support for a compromise measure that would allow voters to show forms of identification that don’t include a photo, such as a registration card or other government documents.

McCrory said he would prefer a photo, but he would accept other options.

The softening position came after a report by the State Board of Elections found as many as 613,000 voters, or 9.25 percent of North Carolina voters, may not have a state-issued driver’s license or identification card.

Senate leader Phil Berger of Eden said he had no disagreement with the House or the governor. But he also said the voter should have a photo ID, whether it is a driver’s license or some other form of government identification.

Berger said the bill must be drawn to withstand a court challenge, which is almost certain.

Even in this age of political polarization, the issue of voter ID has generated intense political heat. Republicans argue that increased protection is needed because voter fraud is on the upswing, while Democrats and civil rights groups counter that it is a purely partisan tactic designed to suppress black voter turnout and thereby provide a strategic edge for the GOP. (Raleigh) N&O staff writer Rob Christensen

As long as the government provides the necessary id's at no cost, I don't see a problem with it. And if they do so, its not going to have any impact on election outcomes. They already give out voter registration cards, so just put a picture on them.

Fwiw, the impact on the election turnout or outcome in the states that passed voter id laws in the last election was nearly nonexistent. In Virginia, 543 provisional votes (voters had no id) were cast, and in tennessee, election officials reported no impact on voter turnout.

Both sides are trumping it up to fire up the voters, and both sides are whining about it, but the issue is really a non issue.

Btw, 30 states have passed voter id laws including (gasp) some blue states, so shouldn't it be fug all 30 states?

it's less of a shitty measure if state agencies and voter rights groups have time to prepare. honestly if it's going to happen i'd rather the stage be set now at the far point of the election cycle.

it was blatantly obvious that various state legislatures such as pennsylvania's were trying to create mass chaos and confusion when they were attempting to shoehorn this in 8 months before the general election last year.

the freaking speaker of PA's house was on record that he believed that voter ID at the polls would hand the state to romney:

i know they didn't actually believe for a second that the DMV and other ID card issuing agencies would be able to get it together to the tune of a massive public education campaign and converting employees to de facto election officials in time to avoid having it be a total poo show that would drive people in inconvenient demographics away from voting.

Pat ran on VoterID. The bill barely missed overriding Perdue's veto. You knew it was coming.

I don't know why liberals are worried...since they put in motor voter years ago...there are so many driver's licenses out there to immigrants and people not allowed to vote it's ridiculous.

Do you think when DMV is asking if they are registered to vote when getting a license...that they verify the person was a felon? No? I know as fact that they've registered non-citizens. In fact...it's the boyfriend of a lady I work with who she and her family just got back from going to the inauguration. Just after the election we were talking generally about how election get out the vote works and how they were coming to her house and asking her if she'd voted yet....and her boyfriend. She asked why him...he can't vote. They responded that he was registered to vote. Now...it's up to the individual to KNOW they cannot vote, but how many old ladies at the voter booth ask. How many would recognize the difference in the non-citizen's drivers licenses.

Our system is so screwed up it's pathetic. But let's get all pissy that standards are put into place to verify someone's a legit voter or not...while ignoring situations where legal legit votes are negated by either fraud or ineptness.

yeah the voter ID stuff is getting to be old hat at this point. the electoral map is looking dire for republicans thanks to demographic shifts so the smart move would be to try to gerrymander the electoral college by ramming proportional allocation through in strategically important states in which they don't have a chance in hell of winning the popular vote.

all told i'd actually be in favor of proportional allocation if every single state adopted it because that would mean the GOP would have to straight up win the popular vote in hundreds of districts across the united states. democrats would be able to scoop up electoral votes all over the south and midwest.

States have the right to determine how their electoral votes are apportioned. Nebraska and Maine have done this for years...and our system did not collapse.

Federal government cannot dictate to the states. If it were up to me...and if you really want to be a federalist about it...let's follow the Constitution completely and have one day where we elect the president. No early voting. No absentee voting unless you can prove that you will not be in your state/country on election day.

Democrats feel they can simply rely on large states to keep winning national elections and pack courts, but unfortunately for them the powers of federal elections are still controlled by the states. Win states back where it matters.

States have the right to determine how their electoral votes are apportioned. Nebraska and Maine have done this for years...and our system did not collapse.

Federal government cannot dictate to the states. If it were up to me...and if you really want to be a federalist about it...let's follow the Constitution completely and have one day where we elect the president. No early voting. No absentee voting unless you can prove that you will not be in your state/country on election day.

Democrats feel they can simply rely on large states to keep winning national elections and pack courts, but unfortunately for them the powers of federal elections are still controlled by the states. Win states back where it matters.

the GOP is either too stubborn or too chickenshit to adjust their policy and message to appeal to emerging demographics so they're trying to stack the deck against democrats in key states. full stop. legal or not that doesn't mean it's not obvious what is happening here.

it doesn't have a thing to do with a bald eagle flying over a transparency of an american flag with fireworks exploding in the sky while morgan freeman reads the declaration of independence. this is the flailing of a dying party.